St. Louis Blues forwards David Backes and Robby Fabbri will play in Game 5 against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

Both forwards were question marks heading into Game 5 after Backes left Game 4 after the first period with an apparent upper-body injury and Fabbri left early in the third period with a lower-body injury.

Fabbri leads the Blues in scoring in the postseason with 14 points, while Backes sits tied for second with 13.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have signed defenseman Michal Kempny, according to ESPN's Craig Custance.

The 25-year-old spent last season with Omsk Avangard of the KHL where he posted five goals and 16 assists in 59 games. Prior to that, the Czech defender spent six years in the Czech League.

Kempny was one of first four defensemen named to the Czech Republic's World Cup of Hockey roster. He most recently represented his country at the World Hockey Championship where he had two assists in eight games.

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The Detroit Red Wings will take any opportunity to shell out jabs at the expense of the Colorado Avalanche.

The Red Wings put their own spin on an internet holiday after seeing the NHL's official account make a reference to San Jose Sharks forward Tomas "Ninja" Hertl.

That's Darren McCarty wailing on a turtling Claude Lemieux in the infamous brawl between the rival clubs on March 26, 1997.

The Avalanche were quick to point out the Red Wings' lack of originality.

Turns out Detroit made the same reference on the anniversary of the incident earlier this season.

The Avalanche then pointed out that the Red Wings also posted the same photo on last year's anniversary, but Detroit wasn't about to apologize.

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The Carolina Hurricanes have taken the first step in locking up forward Victor Rask.

The club has reached out to Rask's agent regarding a contract and are now awaiting a response, general manager Ron Francis told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer.

Rask is coming off his second season with the club where he finished second on the team with 21 goals and tied for second with 48 points in 80 games. He will become a restricted free agent if not signed before July 1.

Francis also noted the 23-year-old underwent shoulder surgery at the end of the season, and according to Francis, "The surgery went really well and he'll be ready for training camp."

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Bruce Boudreau is hiring.

The Minnesota Wild have informed longtime assistants Rick Wilson and Darryl Sydor that they won't be retained to serve on Boudreau's staff next season, Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

Russo notes that it's unclear whether Wilson or Sydor will be reassigned within the organization.

Elsewhere, Andrew Brunette is expected to shift from the bench to a position in hockey operations, while coaches Darby Hendrickson and Bob Mason have renewed their contracts.

Boudreau signed a reported four-year contract to coach the Wild less than two weeks after being fired from his post with the Anaheim Ducks, whom he guided to a fourth straight division title.

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Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are following Patric Hornqvist into the foxhole.

After sleeping on their Game 5 letdown, a loss that prompted Hornqvist to all but guarantee a win in Tampa Bay in their elimination Game 6, the Pittsburgh Penguins stars shared a similar sentiment.

"I believe in my team. I believe in myself. We're coming back to Pittsburgh for sure," Malkin said Monday, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen.

Letang, meanwhile, suggested that the Penguins know "the recipe" to beat the Lightning. Mind you, this was just a few hours after Letang was on the ice for all four Lightning goals.

That blueprint may or may not include turning back to rookie goaltender Matt Murray. Head coach Mike Sullivan will announce his decision between the 21-year-old and veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, who took the loss Sunday in his first start in seven weeks, Tuesday in advance of Game 6.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins are making the hockey world hold its breath on their Game 6 starter.

Mike Sullivan said Monday that the decision between goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray will be announced Tuesday.

The coach continued on about his "imperfect" situation in net, saying, "We wish the circumstances were different, but they're not."

Fleury gave the Penguins a chance to win, but also showed rust in his first start in more than seven weeks in Sunday's 4-3 loss in Game 5. His performance, however, did not keep up to the standard Murray has maintained throughout his run in goal since Game 3 of the first round.

The 21-year-old Murray secured nine wins on a .923 save percentage in 13 playoff starts before being lifted for the veteran.

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John Brophy, former head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, died Monday morning at 83.

A legend in his native Nova Scotia and known for his passionate, often over-bearing leadership style, Brophy accrued 1,027 coaching wins over the course of his career - a total second only to Scotty Bowman.

Brophy's time in the NHL was limited to two-plus seasons behind the bench of the Maple Leafs in the late 1980s, his playing and coaching accolades having been primarily achieved in the East Coast Hockey League.

He was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009.

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The Florida Panthers have made a change at the draft table.

On the heels of a complete restructuring of the front office, the Panthers have fired longtime director of scouting and player personnel Scott Luce - a scout that's received plaudits for his work in recent seasons.

Newly-appointed general manager Tome Rowe told George Richards of the Miami Herald that simply, "we wanted a different voice."

Luce prepared the selections of Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Erik Gudbranson in the lottery position over the last several years, but his finest work may be overseeing the selections of Nick Bjugstad 19th overall in 2010, and Vincent Trocheck 64th overall a year later.

Pundits expect Luce to be in demand.

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The opponent has "quiet calm;" Patric Hornqvist has stern conviction.

After the Pittsburgh Penguins lost consecutive games for the first time since mid-January - a letdown that has them within a loss of elimination with the Stanley Cup Final nearly within reach - Hornqvist is confident his club won't suffer a third.

"We're in a tough position," Hornqvist said after Sunday's loss in Game 5 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, per Sportnet's Chris Johnston, "but there's no doubt in my mind we're going to come back (to Pittsburgh) for a Game 7."

There's been virtually no margin for error in the Eastern Conference final, as Tyler Johnson's off-the-rear end overtime winner is the only thing that separates the two teams in the series and the aggregated scoreboard.

But Hornqvist's rallying cry might be required on an emotional level, as the Penguins dominated the run of play throughout the series until the teams' overall performances seemed to level out in Game 5.

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